‘VA stuck with me. They gave me time to get it right’

For Marine Corps Veteran David Reeves, leaving military service led to battles with addiction and homelessness.

Reeves served eight years in the Marines as a data network specialist, deploying to Iraq in 2008 and to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, from 2009 to 2010. After returning home, he was stationed in St. Louis before receiving a medical discharge in 2013.

“I was angry,” Reeves said. “I didn’t want anything to do with the government. I wanted to be left alone.”

By 2014, he was homeless and struggling with substance use. By 2016, he was living in a tent near a zoo campground in Nebraska.

With a frigid winter looming and no shelter, Reeves checked into a community detox center. That center connected him to Grand Island VA health care. That’s where things began to change.

TR House: A bridge to stability

After completing inpatient treatment through VA’s substance abuse residential rehabilitation treatment program, Reeves was referred to the Compensated Work Therapy/Transitional Residence Program, or “TR House,” in early 2017.

The program offers Veterans a structured living environment, vocational rehabilitation and support services as they work toward reintegration into the community and workforce. It supports Veterans facing homelessness, addiction or unemployment. More than a temporary shelter, the program offers Veterans structure, purpose and a team invested in their success.

Part of the program is reintegration into the workforce. For Reeves, that meant working in the VA kitchen—a job that would put him on a path to leadership.

“TR House gave me time,” Reeves shared. “It’s usually a one-year program, but my transition took longer than normal due to employment barriers. They helped me for two and a half years until I could get through some hurdles and move out on my own. No other program would do that. But VA did.”

Reeves worked in the kitchen through the program for three years before officially becoming a VA employee. By 2022, he was promoted to kitchen manager.

“I’ve done civilian treatment programs before—30 days and you’re out, no plan, and I went right back to the streets,” Reeves said. “VA stuck with me. They gave me time to get it right.”

Advice to fellow Veterans: Stick with it

Now several years into stable employment and living in recovery, Reeves encourages Veterans who need help to reach out.

“If you’re in TR House, stick with it. Do the full year. Don’t rush it,” he advised. “There’s no other place that gives you this kind of support. You’re in the right place.”

From a tent in the snow to a manager at VA, Reeves’s story is a reminder of what’s possible when Veterans are offered the tools, time and trust they need to rebuild their lives after service. Learn more about compensated work therapy.